Stealth horror Haunted house Psychological horror

Perception

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A blind woman, a mansion from her nightmares, and every sound a risk.

Platforms: PC, PlayStation, Xbox, Switch
Price: Paid
Rated: Mostly Positive on Steam (72% of 637 reviews); Game Informer scored it 8.25, as quoted on the store
Players: 1
Made by: The Deep End Games
Released: 2017

Get it on Steam PlayStation Store (Perception: Remastered, PS4)Xbox Nintendo eShop The Deep End Games

What frightens You are Cassie, who is blind and sees only by echolocation: every sound briefly draws the mansion in light, but every noise also draws The Presence, a deadly entity stalking the halls, so you are always choosing between seeing and being found.
Content: violence, strong language, sexual themes (steam content descriptors).

Perception is a first-person horror game about Cassie, a blind woman who explores the mansion from her nightmares by echolocation. Each sound lights up the house around her, but it also draws The Presence, an entity that stalks the halls, so seeing and hiding pull against each other.

About Perception

Perception is a narrative horror game from The Deep End Games, released on Steam in May 2017 and later on PlayStation 4 (as Perception: Remastered), Xbox One and Nintendo Switch. The studio was founded by Bill and Amanda Gardner; the store notes Bill's work as lead level designer on BioShock and design director on BioShock Infinite.

You play Cassie, who is blind and travels to the Estate at Echo Bluff, a house she has seen in her nightmares, to uncover its history. She sees with sound: every noise briefly outlines the rooms in pale light, and the picture fades back to black when it stops.

The catch is The Presence, a deadly entity that roams the house. The noise Cassie needs in order to see is the noise that brings it to her, so you weigh each sound against silence, and when it comes you hide. Each time you solve one of the house's mysteries the estate changes, and the story travels back through its past across several eras.

The store quotes Game Informer calling it more unsettling than downright terrifying. It suits players who want horror built on hearing and hiding rather than on combat, and who enjoy a story-led house mystery in the vein of Visage or Layers of Fear.

How to play Perception

Get Perception on Steam, the PlayStation Store (as Perception: Remastered for PS4), the Xbox store or the Nintendo eShop.
Make a sound to see the room around you for a moment.
Explore the Estate at Echo Bluff and find the clues to its history and why you are there.
Keep your noise down when The Presence is near, and hide when it comes for you.
Solve each of the house's mysteries to change the estate and move the story on.

Screenshots

Perception screenshot: the mansion's porch and gables outlined in pale blue echolocation light against the dark

Perception screenshot: the great hall with its balcony and chandelier lit in orange echolocation outlines

Perception screenshot: a dining room with a chandelier and portraits glimpsed in blue outline through open doors

Perception screenshot: a graveyard of headstones under trees, drawn in blue outline

Tips

Make noise only as often as you need; each sound helps you see but can draw The Presence.
Pay attention to what each sound shows you and remember the layout before it fades.
Know where the nearest hiding place is before you start making noise.
The game has adjustable difficulty in its settings if the hunting gets too much.